This invention relates to a board game in which the players compose music and earn play money as they do based on chance and skill.
A principal object of this invention is to provide a musical composition game that is both educational and fun and that helps the players develop creativity and appreciation for music.
Another object of this invention is to provide a musical composition game that involves both chance and skill and that may be played by both young people and adults and by people of widely varying musical ability.
These objects are accomplished according to the preferred embodiment of this invention by providing a musical composition game employing a playing board with a peripheral portion divided into thirty-two spaces each colored one of five different colors and each including a different musical symbol or term used in musical composition. The game is played by two or more players each of whom is provided with a different playing piece, preferably in the form of a famous musical composer, and each of whom in turn moves his or her playing piece around the peripheral portion of the playing board as determined by spinning a spin dial. Each player uses the musical symbols or terms included in the spaces on which his or her playing pieces lands to compose four measures of music on a sheet of music paper in the major key of C. Play money is given to each player following completion of his or her first measure of music and also following completion of each of his or her turns thereafter, except when his or her playing piece lands on a space colored a particular one of the five different colors. The amount of play money given is based on the popularity of his or her musical composition at that point in the game as determined by the throw of three numeric dice. Play money is also given to each player for other reasons based on chance and skill and as a bonus to the first player who completes four measures of music. The winner is the player who earns the most play money while completing four measures of music. Different awards are given to the players based on the total amount of play money they earn.
More advanced players may play an advanced form of the game in which either four or eight measures of music are composed. These measures may be composed in a major key other than C as determined by throwing an alphabetic die denoting different major keys other than C or, alternatively, in a minor key as determined by throwing an alphabetic die denoting different minor keys. In the advanced form of the game, each musical composition may also include an accompaniment selected by the player or determined by drawing one of a group of cards bearing different accompaniments. Some of the space in the peripheral portion of the playing board include colored stars denoting more advanced techniques of musical composition that may be employed by each advanced player when his or her playing piece lands on those spaces. Additional play money is given to each advanced player for composing measures of music in a minor key or a major key other than C, for employing an accompaniment, and for employing each of the more advanced techniques of musical composition. Each advanced player otherwise earns play money based on chance and skill as in the regular form of the game. Advanced and beginning players may enjoyably play the advanced and regular forms of the game at the same time since chance is also involved in the advanced form of the game and greater skill is required of advanced players.